Girl Scout goes for gold with Baptist Children's Hospital project
Hand-crafted 'lily pads' put Baptist Children’s Hospital patients on the move
Spending time in the hospital can feel stressful for anyone. For a child, the fear and anxiety are much more intense. Thanks to a special teen from Lawrenceville, Georgia, the Spence and Becky Wilson Baptist’s Children Hospital has a new way to help pediatric patients and give them more control during their visit with handcrafted “lily pads” to move around the hospital.
When Girl Scout Sarah Gruber, 17, began thinking of project ideas to earn the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award, she knew she wanted a project that incorporated all of her interests — art; science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); and helping children.
Sarah began researching ideas and saw something on Pinterest about IV “lily pads,” and the idea intrigued her. The lily pads are round bases attached to IV poles, offering pediatric patients a fun way to move around the hospital.
Sarah could only find photos of completed lily pads, but no blueprint for how to design and make them. Because Gold Award project goals include changing the world and driving lasting change, Sarah knew she’d found her winning idea — make these lily pads and teach others how to do the same.
The Gold Award requires a minimum of 80 hours. Sarah spent more than 400 hours perfecting her lily pads and donated 17 bright and colorful bases to the Spence and Becky Wilson Baptist Children's Hospital in June 2024.
The labor-intensive project involved much trial and error. Baptist employees provided measurements, and Sarah converted the measurements to a circular platform to make her first prototype. After Baptist shipped an IV pole to Sarah’s home in Georgia, she noticed things to tweak when she attached the lily pad. She started again, making the IV slot smaller to allow for a tighter fit and adjusting the curves so the base would cover all the wheels, making it safer for young patients. Sarah and her mom, Toni Gruber, drove to the Memphis hospital to ensure the new prototype would fit perfectly.
The Grubers met with Kate Baker, a certified child life specialist at Baptist Children’s Hospital, during their visit. Baker helps comfort and calm young patients who might be scared and anxious. One of her roles is to help get kids up and moving, which can be difficult.
“It’s always a challenge to get kids to move from their rooms, but it’s so important, especially in a case when someone has pneumonia,” said Baker.
Baker had never heard of an IV lily pad before, but thought it sounded interesting. Now, she says she’s seeing things about lily pads more frequently. She’s excited to see how they’re already making a difference after just a short time.
“The lily pads help motivate kids to move,” said Baker. “Even if they aren’t ready to walk, they are sitting upright on the lily pad base, which is very useful for healing. We can take them to see the playroom, and then encourage them to take a few steps into the room. The lily pad is a great way to motivate them to take that first step.”
The cheerful lily pad designs include unicorns, sea creatures and dinosaurs. They’re intended for children ages 3 and up, and they are sturdy enough for an adult to sit on them. Children get to choose the design they want and use it throughout their stay in the hospital, which gives them a sense of control during a time they don’t feel like they have much of it.
Employees at the Memphis branch of Alston Construction were inspired by Sarah’s project and donated materials for an add-on project — 525 coloring books and crayons to distribute to patients and their siblings.
In addition to creating the lily pads, Sarah has created instructional materials to teach others how to recreate lily pads for other hospitals. She’s already trained 30 teens and hopes this project will continue to grow.
“It’s important to me to both inspire and teach others so they can carry on this project long after I’ve finished mine,” said Sarah.
